Creative Economy Town Hall Listening Session - Central Coast (805 Counties)

Last year, a Creative Economy Workgroup (CEW) was convened to respond to a request for a Strategic Plan from the Legislature. Now that the workgroup has completed its meetings and the report is being finalized, the next phase of work is beginning. This includes:

• Generating robust feedback and input for an addendum report that will be appended to the strategic plan
• Gathering stories about initiatives and innovative practices that are having community and cultural impact
• Developing additional tools and resources
• “Road Testing” the CEW Strategic Plan Report

We will be holding two in-person town hall listening sessions for the Central Coast region, including San Benito, Santa Cruz, Monterey, SLO, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties, taking place in January and February, 2026. The core goal of these is to gather feedback on the CEW report for the addendum and local insights to inform data/tools for field-building in Phase III of creative economy work. Additionally, the intention of this in-person space is to create more partnerships and understanding across sectors in communities to ensure that participants leave with meaningful takeaways and sustainable pathways toward strengthening the creative economy locally.

We will provide materials upon registration to help prep for the town halls--but our goal is to keep this as light a lift as possible while equipping you with the information you need to participate fully. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have questions. Coffee and breakfast will be provided.

These town halls are meant to be as inclusive as possible, welcoming many voices with different perspectives. We will also provide opportunities for feedback via a virtual town hall, to take place November 19, as well as a community-wide survey that we hope will reach even more participants in the creative economy.